


she sings the revolution

by evewithanapple



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-22
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 08:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/976783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evewithanapple/pseuds/evewithanapple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Jack Kelly? You're friends with Jack Kelly?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	she sings the revolution

**Author's Note:**

> Written for evangoldmans in the Small Parts Fic Fest.

Katherine was halfway across the courtyard when her books vaulted out of her hands. All right, they didn't precisely _vault_ \- she stumbled over a lip of concrete, catching her toe in the gap, and the contents of her hands went flying as she tried to keep from falling on her face. The textbooks stayed scattered around her feet, but her binder- with all the loose notes she'd been planning on showing Professor Bly at their meeting- came spilling out as the binder rings cracked open, and began to blow out of her reach.  
  
"Damn, damn, _damn_!" she hissed under her breath, scrambling to her knees to try and catch them before they left the courtyard entirely. It was just that kind of day, it seemed- she'd slept through her alarm, there'd been a call from her father (which she still hadn't replied to), she'd been stuck on the bus as they tried to navigate through a crowd of protestors on Whicher Street, and now this. Professor Bly was expecting her to be there by three-thirty at the latest, and it was already three-fifteen. And she was on the other side of campus, watching her carefully-kept notes take flight. She was going to be late for her meeting, which would torpedo her chances of catching Professor Bly in a good mood and having her thesis approved, which would set her graduation back, which would give her father _more_ ammunition to pull her out of Sarah Lawrence and ship her to private college-  
  
"Is this yours'?"  
  
Her head snapped up so quickly that she felt something wrench in her neck. A boy was standing in front of her, a sheaf of her papers held carefully in his hand. He smiled, a little sheepishly. "I mean, you looked like you dropped something."  
  
She grabbed them from him hastily, then relaxed slightly and smiled. "They are, thanks." She itched to look at her watch, but it would be unaccountably rude to seem like she wanted to dodge this guy after he'd just saved her afternoon and possibly her thesis. "I'm Katherine. You must be with-" Her brain stalled. She'd been going to say "with the protestors," since he was wearing the red ribbon pin that they all seemed to have, but they'd been handing them out to everyone. The only other thing that marked him as a potential protestor was his shabby slacks and patched jacket, and while Katherine had repeatedly managed to trust her foot into her mouth since she'd started Sarah Lawrence ("oh, I'll send it to your Blackberry," she'd said to a classmate who turned out not to own a Blackberry) but she had, at least, developed enough of a reflex to stop herself before the words came out. Unfortunately, she hadn't yet composed a sentence to go in their place, which left her stammering. "You must be- um- with the college?"  
  
He shook his head mildly. "Oh, no. I took a year here, but tuition hikes . . ." He shrugged. "I had to get a job, you know? I hadn't been back in awhile, but my friend Jack was organizing the protest and he asked me to show up, so-"  
  
"Wait," she said, holding up a hand. The gears in her head were whirring. "Jack- Kelly? You're friends with _Jack Kelly_?"  
  
"Yeah!" He smiled again. "He said he was getting famous, but I didn't believe him.He's- well- I guess having a good sense of self is important, if you're going to be a leader."  
  
Katherine laughed. "A good sense of self? That's a nice way of saying conceited."  
  
"I was trying for it," David said, looking sheepish. "But no, Jack's a great guy. He's the one who started the protest movement, back when they announced the tuition hike. He's here on an arts scholarship, you know, so people in his position- they got hit the hardest. Some of the scholarship foundations don't have enough in the bank to support the new fees, so their beneficiaries are getting left with the choice to either drop out or take a job to make up the difference, and some of them were doing that before the hike, so they don't have any new options-" He caught himself midsentence, blushing. "Sorry. Force of habit."  
  
Katherine, whose hand had been creeping towards her pencil case of its own accord, snapped to attention. "Oh- no, not at all. It's good to know this. I'm actually working on a thesis project about the role of online journalism in grassroots protests, so this is right up my alley." She shifted her papers to her other arm and checked her watch. Three-twenty. Damn. "I'm sorry, I really have to run- I have a meeting with my advisor. But-" An idea struck her. "Do you know if Jack does interviews?"  
  
David laughed a little. "Are you kidding? He never stops."  
  
Katherine tore a strip of paper off one of her notes- no time to check which one it was- and scribbled her e-mail on it before handing it to David. "Can you give this to him? I can't promise the New York Times, but-" She flushed, smiling- "I'd like to interview him for the paper, if he wants to."  
  
David took the paper, frowning. "You're going to publish an interview in the school paper about people protesting the school?"  
  
Katherine smirked. "I didn't say the _school_  paper."  
  


* * *

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: Protest interview
> 
> Hey,
> 
> My friend David gave me your e-mail and told me you wanted an interview about the tuition hikes protests. Before I agree to anything, I need to know what your credentials are, and what paper you're writing for. I don't know if you follow the student newsletter, but they've been publishing editorials from other students ("other students") distancing themselves from the movement. I want to get the story out, but I don't want to hurt the other protestors. None of the other school reporters have been willing to talk to us. So no offence, but- what makes you different?

  
  


> From: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re: protect interview
> 
> Hi Jack,
> 
> I totally understand your concerns- I'd have the same ones if I was you. First of all, the interview would be just that- an interview. I'd be asking the questions, but the majority of the wordcount would be your answers. It's not my job to editorialize. Secondly, I don't actually work for the school paper. I run an e-zine on Tumblr that focuses on social justice with a focus on Millennials (we had a lot of fun with that Time article.) We've only got a few articles up so far, but we're hoping to expand further, and talking to you will help us reach more of the student body. You can see what we've got so far here: [http://occupycollegestreet.tumblr.com](http://occupycollegestreet.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Katherine

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: Occupy, huh?
> 
> Your zine looks interesting, but who the hell did you talk to for the "hobo chic" article? The concept of culture swapping with the Abercrombie&Fitch movement only works if you accept that the homeless are wearing these clothes as a fashion statement and not because they're being tricked into being mascots for a protest. I can hook you up with people who've actually lived on the streets to talk to, but what you've got there is just stupid.

  
  


> From: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: A&F
> 
> Hi Jack,
> 
> If you'd like to give input on the A&F article, I'd be glad to include it in a revised version. Maybe we could talk about it after the interview?
> 
> Katherine

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: Interview
> 
> I'd be happy to give you some feedback, but I'd be happier to introduce you to some guys who'd actually know what they're talking about. I can get you in touch with them, but you'd be better off going through me- they don't trust reporters. After the bullshit Karber pulled, you can see why. When do you want to meet?

  
  


> From: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re: Interview
> 
> I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon, but nothing the day after. Would Thursday at one work for you? And where would you like to meet?

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re:re: Interview
> 
> Thursday works for me. Maybe at the Bread&Roses on Tanglewood? We can get coffee. ;)

  
  


> From: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: coffee
> 
> Are you suggesting coffee to keep us awake, or to flirt with me?

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re: coffee
> 
> Well, I guess that depends on you. :P
> 
> -Jack

  
  


> From: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re:re: coffee
> 
> In that case, I'll see you on Thursday.
> 
> -Katherine
> 
> P.S. I like mocha.

  
  


> From: [cowboykelly@gmail.com](mailto:cowboykelly@gmail.com)
> 
> To: [kplumber@gmail.com](mailto:kplumber@gmail.com)
> 
> Subject: re:re:re: coffee
> 
> What a coincidence. I know someone at B&R who specializes in it.
> 
> See you Thursday,
> 
> Jack

* * *

  
  
When Katherine arrived at the Bread&Roses Café on Thursday, she her a notebook tucked under her arm, and a MacBook in her computer bag. The café was only half-full, but the tables that weren't occupied were still taken up with dishes left behind by the previous patrons. She paused in the doorway, frowning as she scanned the room for an empty table.  
  
"That one there," said a voice behind her. "I already reserved it." She turned around to see a man in his early twenties- dark-haired and already with a lopsided grin on his face. He held a hand out. "Jack Kelly. You're Katherine, I assume?"  
  
She smiled back and took his hand. He had a firm grip. "It's nice to meet you, Jack. She glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't realize they took reservations here."  
  
He shrugged easily. "They don't, really, but they know me. Want to sit down and get started? I already ordered some drinks."  
  
Her smile widened. "I'd love to."


End file.
